MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2023) The UN chemical arms watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), on Monday announced a new cooperation arrangement with the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) that it hopes will help the UN body deal with emerging threats.
"The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United States (U.S.) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) signed a new collaboration arrangement to work together on a wide range of activities relevant to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)," the OPCW said in a statement.
The OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias said the agreement came at an important time to address the threats posed by rapid technological developments.
"This new collaboration arrangement came in a crucial moment for the Organisation to addresses threats and opportunities arising from rapid developments in science and technology," Arias was quoted as saying in the statement.
The agreement was finalized during a June visit by the head of The Hague-based OPCW to the Blue Grass chemical weapons destruction site in Kentucky. DTRA Administrator Rebecca Hersman signed the pact on behalf of the United States.
"The US Government and DTRA specifically, is really excited to continue to partner with OPCW in new key areas. This is a document that is a commitment to keep working together and focus on some of the areas that will be so important in the future," Hersman said.
The OPCW said the pact would enhance work on innovative analytical forensic methods, biotoxin analysis, equipment validation capabilities, and training for inspectors. Most of these activities will be carried out at the recently inaugurated OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech).
The US is the only signatory to the CWC that still possesses an impressive arsenal of chemical warfare agents. In late June, OPCW said the country must destroy the last of its chemical weapons stockpiles on its territory under the international convention, which should happen in the coming weeks.
